Pentagon Deploys the World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier to the Caribbean

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and at least some of its strike group to the Caribbean.

Department of War spokesman Sean Parnell made the announcement Friday on the social media platform X.

The maneuver was “in support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland,” Parnell said.

It would also “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” he later added.

STATEMENT:

In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S.…

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) October 24, 2025

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea at the time of Parnell’s announcement, according to the Military Times.

While its strike group includes five destroyers, it is unclear if all five will be making the trip to South American waters.

Along with the destroyers, the strike group will join with other ships already in the Caribbean, including three amphibious warships and a nuclear submarine, according to USNI News.

Retired Gen. Mike Flynn responded to Parnell’s announcement, praising the Trump administration.

“[Nicolás] Maduro is an indicted dictator who runs the largest narco-terrorist organization in the world (Cartel Del Soles) who also seized control of Venezuela from a duly elected president,” Flynn wrote on X.

“This is NOT regime change. It is an operation to stop this madman from killing U.S. citizens to the tune of hundreds of thousands of American lives annually on the streets of America. And this must end. In my judgement, that is part of our overall ‘AMERICA FIRST’ policy,” the former National Security Advisor said.

Excellent!

A reminder for all (especially the far left main stream media). Maduro is an indicted dictator who runs the largest narco-terrorist organization in the world (Cartel Del Soles) who also seized control of Venezuela from a duly elected president @MariaCorinaYA .

This…

— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) October 24, 2025

Pulling the vessel from its scheduled deployment is just the latest in President Donald Trump’s war on narcoterrorists, which began in September, according to USNI News.

The U.S. military has since destroyed 10 alleged drug trafficking boats, killing at least 43 people in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025

In the latest attack, which Hegseth announced early Friday morning, six alleged Tren de Aragua members died in a single strike.

“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you,” Hegseth wrote.

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